Theoretical study of the alkyl derivative C37H50N4O4 molecule for use as a stable molecular rectifier: geometric and electronic structures

The realization of a molecular device with a unimolecular rectifying function is one of the most important requirements in nanotechnology. In the present study, the geometric and electronic structure of the alkyl derivative molecule C37H50N4O4 has been investigated theoretically using ab initio quantum mechanical calculations. This molecule has a donor–spacer–acceptor structure, and is a leading candidate for the creation of a molecular rectifying device. The results suggest that in donor–acceptor molecular complexes such as this, while the lowest unoccupied orbital is concentrated around the acceptor sub-unit, the highest occupied molecular orbital is localized on the donor sub-unit. The approximate potential differences for an optimized PNX molecule have been estimated to be 2.683 eV at the B3LYP/6-311g++(d,p) level of theory.